Modern inventory and warehouse systems, such as those in electronic retailer order warehouses, supply chain distribution centers, airport luggage systems, automated and semi-automated warehouses, and custom-order manufacturing facilities, face significant challenges in responding to requests for inventory items. As inventory systems grow, the challenges of simultaneously completing a large number of placing, retrieving, packing, storing, and other inventory-related tasks become non-trivial. In inventory systems tasked with responding to large numbers of diverse inventory requests, inefficient utilization of system resources, including space, equipment, and manpower, can result in lower throughput, unacceptably long response times, an ever-increasing backlog of unfinished tasks, and, in general, less efficient system performance. Additionally, expanding the size or capabilities of many inventory systems requires significant changes to existing infrastructure and equipment. As a result, the cost of incremental changes to capacity or functionality may be prohibitively expensive, limiting the ability of the system to accommodate fluctuations in system throughput.
The order fulfillment step in the distribution system and process for products dispensed is often one of the largest cost components in moving inventory from production to end consumer. Final order assembly is typically labor intensive and time consuming as human operators move among inventory locations and manually handle items. These developments have taken the form of pick-to-light technology, wireless barcode readers, conveyor systems that move orders, to operators and even automated storage and retrieval systems (“A SRS”) that bring the inventory to the worker. Another type of solution, known as a sorter, is used in conjunction with inventory storage equipment and comprises a revolving mechanism that helps sort items coming from inventory into target order bins. Yet another solution is to provide fixed racking aisles served by a robot that moves in and out of the aisles to bring inventory to the front of the storage system. These solutions have been used by the distribution industry for their ability to streamline operations and cut operating costs. Yet even with these often expensive systems, fulfillment costs remain high and distribution system managers continue to explore ways to reduce operating costs.